Two teams at opposite ends of the Europa League standings meet on Thursday night when Rangers host Braga for a matchday five clash in the league phase.
The hosts are at the foot of the table having failed to record a point from any of their four fixtures, while the visitors are fifth in the standings with nine points from four league phase games.
Match preview
Rangers opted to part ways with Barry Ferguson at the end of last season in favour of hiring Russell Martin as the permanent boss to lead them into the 2025-26 campaign, a move that certainly did not work out.
Martin recorded five wins, six draws and six defeats from his 17 games in charge of the Gers, a dismal record that included failing to qualify for the Champions League, losing each of their first two Europa League games and picking up only eight points from their opening seven games.
Martin was eventually dismissed following a 1-1 draw with Falkirk, with Danny Rohl eventually appointed as his successor, and the German has slowly started to lift the mood at Ibrox.
Rohl has managed to win all four of his Scottish Premiership fixtures, guiding the Gers up to fourth in the standings, although Rangers have also been eliminated from the Scottish League Cup by Celtic in the semi-final and lost each of their two Europa League games under Rohl.
As a result of those two European defeats, Rangers remain one of only two teams, alongside Nice, yet to record a point in the Europa League, while their -7 goal difference means they are bottom of the table.
Trailing the top 24 qualifying places by five points with just four games remaining, Rangers simply must start picking up points if they are to have any chance of reaching the knockout rounds, starting with a challenging clash with Braga.
The visitors head into this matchday five clash as one of the top performers in the Europa League thus far, recording nine points from three wins and one defeat, leaving them sitting fifth in the table.
Unlike their promising Europa League form, Braga have actually faced their struggles in Liga Portugal, currently placed seventh in the standings with just 16 points from 11 matches after four wins, four draws and three defeats.
A strong start to the campaign initially saw Braga win each of their first two matches, but a dismal run of six games without a victory – four draws and two defeats – followed, although they are seemingly starting to improve with two wins in their last three.
Braga did lose their first Europa League match last time out, losing 4-3 to Genk in a dramatic encounter, and they will be eager to bounce back and make it three consecutive wins across all competitions with a victory in this one.
Rangers Europa League form:
Rangers form (all competitions):
Braga Europa League form:
Braga form (all competitions):
Team News
Rangers are contending with a number of injuries heading into Thursday’s fixture, with John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Mikey Moore, Youssef Chermiti, Liam Kelly, Bailey Rice, Dujon Sterling, Kieron Dowell and Rabbi Matondo all dealing with injury problems.
Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez are expected to start in central defence due to the ongoing defensive absences, with James Tavernier and Jayden Meghoma continuing in full-back positions.
Further forward, Oliver Antman, Thelo Aasgaard and Djeidi Gassama could continue behind Danilo in attack.
Meanwhile, Jonatas Noro is anticipated to be Braga’s only absence, while the rest of the squad will be available for selection.
Ricardo Horta has scored three goals in his last two appearances, and the forward could line up alongside Fran Navarro and Rodrigo Zalazar, while Joao Moutinho and Jean-Baptiste Gorby could start in central midfield.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Meghoma; Diomande, Raskin; Antman, Aasgaard, Gassama; Danilo
Braga possible starting lineup:
Hornicek; Gomez, Lagerbielke, Arrey-Mbi; Martinez, Gorby, Moutinho, Lelo; Horta, Zalazar; Navarro
We say: Rangers 1-2 Braga
Rangers have been improved since the arrival of Rohl, but Braga have shown their quality in this competition while the Gers have struggled, leading us to expect an away win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
